Retreat Weekend!

Another week down, and another week started. Here I am at week 9 with only 3 more weeks after this one. I can’t believe summer is almost over! Time really flew by. I am excited to be headed home to see friends and family, but I am really not ready to leave camp. It will be so weird (but nice) to having my own room. And a tv? And unlimited internet? So crazy! But back to what’s been happening. Last week was another successful week of Idaho Servant Adventures. A bigger week, but everything seemed to run smoothly. Had some awesome groups! They were great, a little bit slow and got off task quickly, but still a lot of fun.  But the weekend was well needed.

This weekend we had our staff retreat at this big huge rec center. It was nice to see some of the Lutherhaven staff that I have not seen since the beginning of summer and catching up on their summer lives. We also had this huge pool area full of heat and chlorine to hang out in. Went down a waterslide, and swam in the lazy river. They had this like toilet bowl part that I totally got stuck in twice. It was a fun experience though. I worked on my cribbage game as well. (Yes I am learning how to play cribbage. It is all the rage at camp.) I am slowly getting better at it. There was also this really fantastic worship that we had. If I had to have one complaint about the retreat it would only be that it went to long. We did not leave the place until 1 am! Did I mention that I was up at 6 am that day? It was a long night. We headed back to Lutherhaven and me and 2 other staffers decided to sleep on the beach. It was pretty legit. (But kinda cold) The sun woke me up way earlier than I wanted, but that was okay. I got to enjoy the view from the beach and just relax. When we finally headed back to camp we decided to make a very quick pit stop and the local rock jumping spot on the river. ME being the scaredy cat I am jumped off the little one which was like 8 or 10 feet high. But that was thrill enough for me. I tried to watch a movie when we got back, but I was too tired and ended up taking a 3 hour nap. It was well needed.

Funny story about my nap..I woke up all of a sudden, realized I was in an empty room in the middle of the day, freaked out, jumped out of bed, was disoriented in the middle of my room trying to figure out where I was supposed to be because I thought it was a week day and we had stuff to do. I finally realized that it was Saturday, and it was okay I was napping. Thankfully no one was in the room to notice my little freak out. I am sure it would have been hilarious to see though.

I don’t have much to catch you up on. I have intention to post a more though provoking blog sometime this week, I just didn’t want to make this one feel lengthy. Hopefully those of you who are still reading my blog and getting your fill!

Survival

Today finally began another week of ISA. I can honestly say I am sooo happy about that. The Catholic’s were great and all but very exhausting. The schedule was just crazy and all over the place and I just felt on the go constantly. It was very exciting to be off for the weekend. And this weekend was a mix of fun and sadness.

Bear, or Michael, left camp this weekend. =[ It was sad. But before he headed out we had a nice staff dinner at the Snake Pit, and then went into town to see Harry Potter! Not getting back to camp until almost 2 am was not the best, but it was still so much fun! Especially since one of our other staff members, who went on vacation for a week, and then spent another week at our other camp, was there, and it was the perfect place to reunite. Running across the theater in excitement was hilarious.  It was a good last night to spend with Bear. Then, on Saturday, I got to go with him to the airport to send him on his way. David, Leah (2 other staffers) and I got to take a camp van into Spokane and say our final good bye to Bear. To take away our sadness we spent the day doing lots of fun things. We went to the mall which is such a luxury; we then went to a coffee shop to spend a bit of time on the internet that we lack at camp. I got to use Facebook and it was really exciting. After some internet, coffee, and a new phone for David, we headed off to Costco to buy lots of candy for camp. I love shopping for camp because we buy so much stuff that I just feel ridiculous. After a nice little Costco run we stopped for Panda Express which was a nice meal to splurge on. We then finally headed back to camp, and found even more excitement.

At around 9:30 that night, a bunch of us were gathered to head up to the helipad for some bonding time, when a panicked woman runs into the office say that about a mile up the road a RV caught on fire and is starting to spread to the trees. In case you forgot, camp is in the middle of the national forest. Forest fires are no good. As she is panicking, Clint, our camp director, and local EMT, is trying to secretly get his firefighting gear out and ready considering he is the closest one to get to the station. It was really exciting to watch him put on his brand spanking new fire suite (never used) and then peel out of the parking lot to race down the road and get a fire truck and some more crew. Needless to say the fire was put out and no one was hurt. (Except the RV which was burned to the ground) There was a lot of excitement in the night. I also played my first legit cribbage game and kicked butt!! Woooo. I would call it a good night! I am realizing that our staff is such a family, and I really love them all. I don’t know what I am going to do when I have to leave. It will be sad. But I totally miss my friends at home and can’t wait to be back with them.

Speaking of a staff family, we got a new staff member. It is nice, but really weird at the same time. Today was her first day and I will be honest I feel kind of bad. Here is a staff that has totally bonded over the last 8 weeks, and now this girl just has to jump right in. I am kind of thinking of it as a step sister. I mean she is GREAT and nice and so fun, but if I were her I would feel weird not knowing all the inside jokes that everyone is talking about. And a lot of it is hard to explain, but I am hoping that after a week of us she can start to fit right in and be just like us and have a great 5 weeks with us! Let’s see how it goes.

Well now that I have packed my weekend fun into a blog, I can now say I am prepared and excited for another week of God working through 114 campers here! Can’t wait! 

Go Go Go!!

I have been on the go with work since July 3. This is what happens when you have a work weekend. But let me tell you my work weekend was fantastic! I got to be the host for a family reunion that came up to use our camp. We got to do all of our typical camp stuff like zip line, rock wall, and tubing with this family. We also hosted their meals and that kind of stuff. Now as most family reunions go there were 3 generations of family there. One of the original generations there had members in their 70’s. These were some of the coolest old people! One woman, who was 73, climbed our 40 foot zip line and leapt off!! She also attempted to climb our rock wall. Because she did the zip line, it encouraged her siblings to do the same. So seeing people between the ages of 60 -70 flying off our zip line was pretty awesome! I was quite impressed. One of the older generations even went tubing down the river. It was pretty sweet to be involved in that. This family was just pretty legit. I really enjoyed getting to work with them last weekend. (But am ready for a Saturday off.)

This week for camp is totally different from any group this summer. This week is NICYC week which stands for Northern Idaho Catholic Youth Camp. So we have 130 Catholics running around camp. It is pretty intense. They have rosary in the morning, and mass during the day. What does this mean as a staff member? It means I get to:

-eat meals outside as a staff (something that NEVER happens)
-Sleep in an extra hour!
-Do a camp project with another staff member (AKA fill in a giant trench)
- Tube and belay all day.
-Sing ridiculous songs!!
- And enjoy random spurts of down time.

This week is just a huge and different week full of stress. I am dying for the weekend and it is only Tuesday. I feel like it must be because I did not get my normal day off this weekend so I have just been on the go. But the Catholics are so much fun and so nice and constantly say thank you which just makes everything feel so much better. Today was not stressful so I am totally hoping for this to be the trend for the rest of the week. But I am also looking forward to getting back into our normal swing of things.

Things are going pretty well up in Idaho. I have a beautiful watch tan and am starting to get a tan from my Toms.  I finally got some sun on my legs today and now have a shorts tan line! Woo Hoo! What is crazy to me is that I only have 40 days left at camp. It is actually closer to 39. Unbelievable! I am very excited to see the people I love and miss at home, but I will totally miss camp. I really can’t thank God enough for blessing me with the opportunity to work up here. It has been so amazing and I can’t believe it took me so long to do it. Until my next free moment..

The adventure of a lifetime.

Adventure. Camping. Risk.

This is my way of getting you hooked into having to read my blog. Last night I decided to go camping. Or at least what I thought was going to be camping. Turned into an adventure hike that ended in sleeping on the ground. So technically camping I guess.  Let’s just say it was an adventure of a lifetime. And it was very exciting. Started out as a simple invitation to go camping. North Idaho is new to me, but the staff members I went with have some experience camping around here so I figured I could easily trust them.  Ha! So I was informed we would just be taking a mile hike, so I had my back pack and pillow and sleeping bag already to go. I could carry that for a mile no problem. I was so confident that I even carried a bag of Cheetos with me. As we ventured on for about 15 minutes, we got to a point where I felt we were no longer on a trail. This was when I realized that things were going to get interesting. The trail sort of exsisted, but it was more so covered with trees and bushes and all sorts of stuff that you just had push through. After way longer than a mile on this trail, we decided that our originally destination was possibly not happening, we could see over the mountain that the river was down below.  How do we get to the river? Scale down the mountain of course! Well, by this point because I tripped over a branch the cheeto bag finally broke, but it lasted a good chunk.  Going down the mountain had no trail whatsoever because not even animals braved this path. I had to use tree branches to hold on to as I climbed down. We then eventually hit the river. Oh wait, I mean creek. The river was further up.

As we hit the creek, the one in front who confidently wore flip flops, let us know that the creek was surrounded by this plant that when contact was made with bare skin it burned and was very painful. Lucky for me I had long pants and tennis shoes on. But at one point I slipped and it got my hand a little. I survived though. As we crossed back and forth over this creek/stream thing I gave up on keeping my shoes dry. (I luckily packed extra socks.) At one point, the handle for my sleeping bag broke and there went my sleeping bag into the water. I scooped it up in time for only a small portion to get wet. We then finally found the river! Exciting? Until I saw that camp grounds were on the opposite side. Oh yea and it was definitely dark at this point. Good thing I remembered my head lamp! So we (when I say we, I mean them, because I was clueless) knew that the road had to be close, so it was not time to give up quite yet. At this point, we were now on the side of the mountain covered in rock. This was when I actually was a little nervous. But God was definitely here for us because all of a sudden a legit path appeared! Although rocky, it was totally legit and led us to a camper! This campground then led us to the road, which led us to the bridge across the river. Hallelujah! At this point, we figured out where we were, and headed to a flat ground area to camp for the night. What an adrenaline rush!

This was totally a huge adventure. Although totally risky, I knew that God was with us as we ventured though his creation. The fact that no one was injured, including the guy in FLIP FLOPS, proves that he was watching. I feel like a real woman surviving this. As well as using the forest as a restroom multiple times. Luckily it was not needed until we arrived at a camp because there I got to find nice foresty area to have some decent privacy. The thing that surprised me the most is that only at small points was I actually scared about what we were doing. This totally shows how much confidence I have gained in God this summer. I love it! I know this was such a dumb risk of me, but I must be honest. It was SOOO worth it. I am becoming an outdoorsy woman. =] 

Realizations of Life.

Seems awful to start my blog on a bad note, so I will give a quick update and highlight some of the good to start it off. Last week was great. I got to see my home church and let me tell you I loved seeing familiar faces and people who just make me happy. So glad to have them up here! =] Also, I have had some great time to get closer with God, and let me tell you, I LOVE seeing the great things God is doing up here at camp. So many kids have come up here and gotten so much work done. It is such a blessing that camp is so full this summer, full of youth just so excited to serve God. I can see God everywhere up here, and it is just so amazing to get that closer glimpse of him. Next, I managed to find a song that has helped me cope this week with the loss of my grandma. I believe it is an old song, but I have the remake by glee, (of course) and the lyrics just really make me smile:

“Smile though your heart is aching, Smile even though its breaking, When there are clouds in the sky you’ll get by, If you smile through your pain and sorrow, Smile it may be tomorrow you’ll see the sun come shining through for you.”

Basically, I know that my grandma is in that better place with God, and that she wants me to smile and be happy because she herself is happy. Now onto more uplifting stuff about life at camp. This last weekend I got the joy of going shopping! And not just at wal mart, but in a real mall! Fact though, the mall was a good 2 hours away. I really am my mother’s daughter if I drove 2 hours just to shop. I also went to Cabella’s for the first time ever. (They don’t have one in California) That was exciting. I plan on going back sometime to buy something so I can say I own something from there. (I’m pathetic.) Anyhow, my weekend was enjoyable thanks to that.

I have come to realize that I am thankful for the fact that I did not live the dorm life experience. Well let’s stick more so with the living with more than one person in a room experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the girl staff I live with. They are fun fantastic and beautiful. But, as the extreme extrovert I am, I have realized that sleep is when I get my alone time. Here is the other thing. I like to sleep at my own time, when I want and how I want. At home, I am used to getting in my nice big comfy bed, sniggling up with my covers, and watching tv until I fall asleep. I knew coming to camp I would lose the TV ability, which has been replaced by my ipod, thusly I am fine on that part. But living with 4 other girls, who all get up at different times, all have their own alarms, and all have their own bedtime schedules has been tricky. I am surviving fine and growing accustom to it. But there is one thing I am totally missing from home. I will be very excited to be back in my bed and my own room.

My bed is not the only thing I miss from home. I am at a loss for words at how much I miss my friends and family. I just feel so disconnected it is weird. My plan this week is to connect with as many as I can, even if it just means sending a letter home to them to let them know I am still alive. And then to say I miss my family is an understatement. I can’t believe it has been like 5 weeks since I have seen them last. I totally appreciate being so close to them now that I know what it is like to be so far away. My sister and I used to call when we were bored, or when we needed advice on who knows what, and not having that has been so weird. (Lindsay be prepared for a phone call a day when I am home. Haha) Hoepfully the being missed is being felt the same at home. And last but not least for the missing is of course the love of my life. I miss Marc (the boyfran) a lot. I luckily have had some opportunity to call him but a long distance phone relationship is not the same. I give people who have done it so much props and respect.

And finally, to sum up this really long blog, I just want to send the message out there that life at camp is still amazing. I miss home, and so many people, but I am growing in so many different ways at camp it is amazing. Everyday brings something new and exciting that I love and I just feel like a better person spititually, mentally, physically, and maturely. I hope to get another blog out this weekend, shorter and possibly more deep. Until then. =]

Eleanor Bensen

Sunday was a sad day. As I am sure most of you who are on my facebook know that my grandma passed away. I know I said my blog was meant for camp life, but this is part of my life that is being lived at camp for now. So tonight my blog post is about her.

My grandma was a big part of my life. She was definitely one of the hardest things to leave home this summer. Over the past years I got super close with my grandma, being the youngest granddaughter who happened to live with her. Not that she had favorites, but I like to think I was her favorite youngest one. =] My grandma was the best at everything. She made the best cookies, the coolest blankets and stuffed animals, and just the best at making desserts. She also was really good at taking care of her grandchildren being a nurse and all. She just always knew what to do. The favorite thing I would say about all my  grandma’s (who are now all with God) was that they all were good at their own things, which helped me learn so much. My other grandma, who passed way too soon, was the best at crafts, and this grandma was the best at cookies/desserts. It just made my childhood fantastic.

In the recent years, my grandma was always critiquing my style. Whether it was hair length/color/style, clothing choice (too dark, too boring, too revealing), or make up choice, she always was there to tell me how she felt. And although she may not have noticed, I took it to heart and usually would change the things she didn’t like.

Also, if I had to pick the latest bond it would be how every night possible I would read to her, just as she did for me when I was younger. It is totally something I will miss doing. But I think it has encouraged me to continue reading myself, to where I know she is somewhere listening as well.  That’s just how God likes to send the guardian angels in our lives. The night my grandma passed, I had a dream of her being healthy and happy and wonderful, and I feel that was her way of telling me she was going to be in heaven, happy and healthy, and letting me know she was okay.

I could easily go on and on about my grandma, but my blog would be too long. To sum it up, I will greatly miss my grandma, she was one of the best, and she will always be loved by all of her family, even her added to family like all my friends who knew her, because she just touched the lives of so many.

RIP Eleanor Bensen

Grandma Mo

First Week Complete!

I know it has been a while, but life at Shoshone just got a little more busy.

We had our first week of Idaho Servant Adventures! It was fantastic. It was sort of a practice week considering there were only 18 people, but it was a serious practice week. I feel so much more confident now, which is good considering 114 people roll in on Sunday. Including my favorite churches. My own of course and our Texas buddies. I am so excited I really can’t even explain it. All I know is a bit of home will be here this week. =]

Some of the best parts of my week included getting a postcard from the youth group at home, as well as a wonderful package from my aunt. The package included cookies, chocolate, pictures, a magazine and this neat little world religions book. So exciting to get mail! So please send me more. It totally brightens my day.  

This blog would be ridiculously long if I told you everything about my week, so I suppose I will just give a brief run down. The weather was depressing.  It poured rain all day every day. Well except for Tuesday. It was nice on Tuesday. This was not fun for piling brush into the back of a truck. Let’s just say I went through almost all my socks this week. Exciting thing was I got to drive a truck around camp! Wooo! I liked one of them, but camp has this old forest service truck that only has 3 gears. I was not a fan. Also, in order to get the key out of the ignition you have to push a button. So weird, and not like my car at all. I got to work with some pretty neat kids this week as well. The group I worked with a little in the beginning of the week were so hard working that on Tuesday they decided to work through lunch to get the project done. Such hard workers! I was quite impressed. That day I also got to work with the Jr ROTC group that was up here. They were a good group of kids, but could definitely use some team work. Hopefully our challenge course helped them a little bit. Anyways, I also got to hang with these fantastic girls who were just so fun and energetic. (Just like me!) They called my goulashes because of my rain boots.

I have come to the conclusion that Fridays are going to be my least favorite day. Groups head out and staff cleans for a couple hours. Not exactly the most enjoyable experience. High School kids are a bit too messy for my liking. I guess it will help me appreciating keeping my room and the house clean when I get back. (maybe) Today cleaning went fast even though we were missing half the staff, so I guess I can’t complain.

Anyways, totally loving the camp life. I got to make some nice lengthy phone calls home this week. Which was a nice little time to catch up. Especially with the love of my life. =] I am not a fan of our phone relationship but I know we will survive. I also feel so disconnected from friends. =[ I really miss friends and have no idea what is going on with them. It’s so weird, but I have so little time to call everyone I would love to talk to. So dear friends at home don’t think I have forgotten about you! I miss you all a ton! And hope to talk to you soon. But for now, it’s time to catch up on sleep and enjoy a day off.